Tulsa Opera to commemorate 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre with commissions and performance

Tulsa Opera will present a concert on May 1 that “will feature songs and arias by living Black composers, some of which were commissioned specifically for this event,” which is called “Greenwood Overcomes” and is part of Tulsa’s centennial commemoration of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, writes James D. Watts Jr. in Monday’s (3/1) Tulsa World (OK).“Performers include … Oklahoma native … Leona Mitchell, along with Denyce Graves, Leah Hawkins, Taylor Raven, Issachah Savage, Noah Stewart, Kevin Thompson and Davóne Tines…. The concert has been curated by Tulsa Opera Artistic Director Tobias Picker and Metropolitan Opera Pianist and Assistant Conductor Howard Watkins…. [Commissioned] works to be performed [include] ‘Fire across the tracks,’ an aria by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis and librettist Thulani Davis, for their forthcoming opera, ‘Tulsa 21.’ Other composers debuting new work include Stewart Goodyear, Nkeiru Okoye and Daniel Bernard Roumain…. ‘The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre gouged an ugly and enduring scar into the heart of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and America,’ Picker said.… ‘The racism that hid the massacre from public memory for much of the last century can also be found in the opera and classical music realms, which have similarly obscured and omitted important contributions by Black composers.’ ”